Communicating climate change in the Pacific using a bottom-up approach

Abstract

While scientific evidence in support of climate change is growing, awareness and education about its effects, especially among vulnerable communities, is lacking, due to language and cultural barriers. Communities are unlikely to respond to government policies promoting mitigation and adaptation strategies without an improved perception of climate change risk at a local level. Mapping the flow of information between decision makers and citizens is an important part of this process. This article broadly explores the communication channels that are being used for awareness and knowledge sharing in the Pacific. At its core, the article discusses a way in which participatory media has been piloted to enable community discussion about issues around climate change in the Pacific Islands. The ‘bottom-up’ approach encourages participation of marginalised groups such as women, youth, and people with disabilities who bring diverse perspectives in content creation. This discursive space enables citizens to share knowledge and acquire better understanding of the impacts on livelihood and culture. However, a strong community network and consistent mentoring support are prerequisites for participatory media to have long term benefits.

Pacific climate change adaptation: The use of participatory media to promote indigenous knowledge

“…Creative communication tools can be used in building capacities for CBA strategies by strengthening dialogue through collaborative documentation of local knowledge and the translation of scientific concepts into local community contexts (Harris, 2014). This way, indigenous knowledge can be appreciated as a vehicle for generating, sustaining and transferring information (Mercer, 2010).…”

Climate change advocacy in the Pacific: The role of information and communication technologies

“…The vast majority of the scientific community agree that climate change is occurring, and that it is human induced (Maibach, Myers, & Leiserowitz, 2014). However, for the Pacific region, there is still a lack of awareness and education at the grassroots level on the impacts of climate change (Harris, 2014). In such environments, journalists play a pivotal role.…”

“…In such environments, journalists play a pivotal role. However, as Harris (2014) notes, journalists have recognised that more training is needed in order to improve on climate change reporting to the general public.…”

“…Various researchers reveal these diverse forms of media and communication play a crucial role in socio-economic and political change in the region (Harris, 2014;Robie, 2014b). Radio is the most effective and farreaching coverage in the region while television maintains viewership mostly in urban centres.…”

Engaging communities in environmental communication

“…Pacific scholars have argued that the Oceanic region can be imagined as 'a sea of islands' which have the Pacific Ocean as their common home (Hau'ofa, 1994:152). In the 21st century Pacific Island nations are strengthening their networks across a wide spectrum of socio-cultural, economic, political and scientific endeavours (see Harris, 2014). This solidarity is most pronounced in the area of climate change negotiations.…”